The federal government has stated that although the new tax law provides for a fuel surcharge under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Act but the provision has not yet taken effect.
It added that contrary to claims that Nigerians would start paying the ₦500 surcharge as of January 2026, the implementation date will only be determined by an official order from the Minister of Finance.
The clarification was made by the Chairman of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, Taiwo Oyedele through the State House media.
“What we have is that there’s a law that was enacted some years back with a surcharge on fuel under the FEMA Act. This is a provision that is now in the new tax law, and it does not take effect as of January 2026.
“I know some people have been giving wrong information about this. What is in the new tax law is that this surcharge will take effect on a date in the future, based on an order to be released by the Minister of Finance. And we do know that the Finance Minister is responsible enough to determine when it’s appropriate to do so,” Oyedele said.
He added that the intended purpose of the surcharge is to channel revenues into transport infrastructure projects, which he claimed would eventually reduce the cost of logistics, ease the burden on commuters, and bring down inflation.
